Rename PowerFlex SDCs with SCLI for a Clearer ESXi Inventory

This guide shows how to assign a friendly name to a Dell PowerFlex Storage Data Client (SDC) by using the PowerFlex command-line interface (SCLI). The change updates the name associated with the SDC in PowerFlex; it does not rename the ESXi host itself or change its DNS and vSphere inventory names.

The examples use two ESXi SDCs in a lab. Replace the GUIDs, IP addresses, and names with values from your environment.

If you still need to install the client on an ESXi host, see Connecting VMware ESXi to PowerFlex: A Step-by-Step SDC Installation Guide.

For an overview of PowerFlex components and architecture, see Getting Started with Dell PowerFlex: Architecture and Key Components.

Step-by-step

1- In this case, we have added both SDCs and the Name is “N/A.” So, based on it, we want to change it to a friendly name.

The first SDC has the IPs “192.168.155.213,192.168.156.213“:

scli --query_all_sdc | grep -i -A4 "192.168.155.213,192.168.156.213"

SDC ID: 997fd4f300000010 Name: N/A IPs: 192.168.155.213,192.168.156.213 State: Connected GUID: 49D88B62-5237-4EF8-97E4-75B0CFD31A42  OS Type: ESX Loaded Version: 4.5.0 Installed Version: 4.5.0
    Agent status: disabled MDM IP addresses: stale Reboot safe: no
    Reads:  0 IOPS 0 Bytes per second
    Writes: 0 IOPS 0 Bytes per second

The second SDC has the IPs “192.168.155.214,192.168.156.214“:

scli --query_all_sdc | grep -i -A3 "192.168.155.214,192.168.156.214"

SDC ID: 997fd4f400000011 Name: N/A IPs: 192.168.155.214,192.168.156.214 State: Connected GUID: C6BADE3A-75CC-42DA-9678-EE7FA5B8A353  OS Type: ESX Loaded Version: 4.5.0 Installed Version: 4.5.0
    Agent status: disabled MDM IP addresses: stale Reboot safe: no
    Reads:  0 IOPS 0 Bytes per second
    Writes: 0 IOPS 0 Bytes per second

2- Changing the name for each one:

192.168.155.213,192.168.156.213 –> ESXI06
192.168.155.214,192.168.156.214 –> ESXI07

To change each name, we are using the GUID, as we can see in the following block command:

scli --rename_sdc --sdc_guid 49D88B62-5237-4EF8-97E4-75B0CFD31A42 --new_name ESXI06

scli --rename_sdc --sdc_guid C6BADE3A-75CC-42DA-9678-EE7FA5B8A353 --new_name ESXI07

Note: The current Dell PowerFlex 4.5.x CLI reference documents rename_host, not rename_sdc. Check if it can be your case:

scli --rename_host --sdc_guid 49D88B62-5237-4EF8-97E4-75B0CFD31A42 --new_name ESXI06

scli --rename_host --sdc_guid C6BADE3A-75CC-42DA-9678-EE7FA5B8A353 --new_name ESXI07

3- Afterward, checking the name:

scli --query_all_sdc | grep -i -A3 "192.168.155.213,192.168.156.213"
SDC ID: 997fd4f300000010 Name: ESXI06 IPs: 192.168.155.213,192.168.156.213 State: Connected GUID: 49D88B62-5237-4EF8-97E4-75B0CFD31A42  OS Type: ESX Loaded Version: 4.5.0 Installed Version: 4.5.0
    Agent status: disabled MDM IP addresses: stale Reboot safe: no
    Reads:  0 IOPS 0 Bytes per second
    Writes: 0 IOPS 0 Bytes per second


scli --query_all_sdc | grep -i -A3 "192.168.155.214,192.168.156.214"
SDC ID: 997fd4f400000011 Name: ESXI07 IPs: 192.168.155.214,192.168.156.214 State: Connected GUID: C6BADE3A-75CC-42DA-9678-EE7FA5B8A353  OS Type: ESX Loaded Version: 4.5.0 Installed Version: 4.5.0
    Agent status: disabled MDM IP addresses: stale Reboot safe: no
    Reads:  0 IOPS 0 Bytes per second
    Writes: 0 IOPS 0 Bytes per second

Note: After the rename, run the same queries again and verify that the Name field contains the expected value and that the GUID still identifies the intended SDC.

Final Thoughts

Assigning clear names to PowerFlex SDCs makes the host inventory easier to read and manage. Verify each GUID before renaming, then query the SDC list again to confirm that the intended entry changed; investigate any stale MDM-address or reboot-safety warnings separately, since renaming does not resolve those conditions.

External References